Falling star, road to redemption
by Bloodthirsty
Summary: Yay. continued.... Legolas goes on a hunt, and finds out more than he wanted to. Yes, rather short, and probably badly written, but ooh well.
1. Default Chapter

Bloodthirsty: Okay… you're all going to kill me. It's been so long, and really, I'm not expecting too many reviews for this. I've been sucked into another fandom, so this might not be what you were expecting, though I will try my hardest at this.

Legolas: *sighs* I though I could get away from all this torment. Damn you.

Aragorn: She's probably forgotten her entire plot… that is, if she had one to begin with.

Bloodthirsty: Silence puny mortal!

Legolas: I'm the only immortal one here, only I get to say that, puny mortal!

Bloodthirsty: Well, I'm the author, and I can make your life a living hell.

Oh, and because one of my reviewers hated my author's notes/muses, they will be in wavy lines (hopefully), so now you don't have to read them. 

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and Legolas' bro, Ùmaia. And if you sue, I'll laugh, cause I said I don't own anything, so it's a lost cause. Heheheh…

He was being hunted. A twig snapped behind him, causing his head to jerk towards the direction of the sound. Nothing. Frustration was building within the Elf, along with the refusal to accept the fact that whatever was hunting him was winning.

"Damn you! Let me be, you beast!" Legolas cried out desperately. Something hauntingly familiar was surrounding him. A dark aura tugging at his sanity. Baring very unelven teeth, he stopped walking and turned around, expecting to see some sort of demonic creature, when again… nothing. A frustrated growl escaped his lips, and he started to walk faster, and towards the palace.

_'I must be paranoid. There is nothing following me. Just old scares from the past…'_ His train of thought was destroyed as something tackled him from behind. He cried out from sheer surprise of the attack, unable to twist around to face his assailant. Something sharp jabbed into his back hard enough to draw blood. Sindarin voices assaulted his ears, and despair washed over him. Another harsh prod made the Elf yell.

"Enough! We'll finish with the demon later!" A voice rang out. Legolas felt the weight on his back lift, and before he could stand, the Elves had escaped. Legolas' heart sank. His own people were rejecting him. He wanted nothing more than to become isolated from the world. To become antisocial to the point where no one would even notice him. He sighed and finally stood up, wincing as his wounds protested at the movement. A deep snarl from behind him made him jump. That same feeling of familiarity came back even stronger than before.

_"My little Prince has returned…"_ A hissing voice purred. A large wolf, even larger than a Warg emerged from the bushes, covered in blood. A long slash along it's front leg gave reason for some of the blood, but something deep inside him screamed that most of the blood was not its own.

"What do you want with me, demon?" Legolas whispered, trying to keep his from shaking. He secretly wished the other Elves would return and help him fight the monster.

_" You fear me?"_ Legolas heard the voice again, though the wolf just looked at him, giving no sign that it was the source of the voice.

"With good reason, beast! You've tormented me enough, now leave me alone!" Legolas cried, fear starting to take control. The bloodstained wolf began to advance on Legolas. The elf felt hot tears in his eyes. He hated crying before, but now that they were tears of blood, he hated crying all the more. That same feeling of darkness, the desire to just let go and fall into its embrace tugged at his mind. He couldn't, not after all Mithrandir had done for him.

_" Give into it, child… let your mind be free of all conflict… Let yourself go…"_ The hiss of the shadow creature almost soothed the distraught Elf. It had gotten him off of his guard though, and that was what the demonic creature wanted. As soon as the flicker of uncertainty had shone in the Elf's eyes, the creature lunged at him. Legolas realized the shadow's plan a moment too late, and the last thing he saw was the Warg-sized wolf's gaping maw.

Legolas awakened to a light beam of sun dancing upon his cheek. It was late morning, and he was in his bed. Perhaps it was a dream? Was all of his torment just a trick of the mind? The prince of Mirkwood shifted and sat up, immediately greeted with pain from the wounds of the previous night.

_'None of it was a dream…'_ Legolas thought dejectedly. Self-loathing washed over him as he stood up and walked past a shattered mirror. He had broken it only a few days after Gimli had left. It had shattered what little optimism Legolas had left. The Dwarf had gotten an urgent message. He had to go back to his homeland, for something or other. Legolas had chosen not to come, but instead begged the Dwarf to stay. When Gimli had refused, and went on the long journey, it had nearly killed Legolas. But who could blame the Dwarf? His Elvish friend had become irritable and antisocial to the point where Gimli was sure his presence did nothing to help the Elf. So when he was called back home, he reluctantly took it, thinking he could do no more.

Legolas hated him for that. True, he hadn't given any signs that the Dwarf helped him, but in truth, the golden hearted creature helped the Elf more than any could fathom. A knock on his door tore him from his train of thoughts.

"Legolas," Came the cautious voice of Ùmaia. "Father wants to speak with you… He is in his study." He poked his head into the room, his blue eyes scanning until he found his younger brother. Legolas could distinguish a slight wince on the elder Elf's face. Even now, Legolas' appearance scared him.

"Tell Father I will be with him shortly. Allow me the chance to get ready." Legolas said coldly. Ùmaia nodded curtly and left Legolas to prepare. Legolas took of his nightshirt and replaced it with a dark green shirt. He no longer wore the light greens and browns he used to. If you caught Legolas on a bad enough day, he might have even been wearing black. He thought it suited him better, though didn't wear it as often as he'd like; Thranduil did not approve of it. Now that he had changed his pants as well, he felt ready to wash.

He walked over to a large bowl with some water in it, and splashed it on his face. The water began to drip off of his chin and back into the small cask, and he noted with disgust that it had a tinge of crimson. _'The tears…'_ He thought angrily. _'How even emotions mock me. Tears of blood, blood of a felled creature.'_ He thought, now hating himself even more. No wonder his people hated him, and his brothers feared him. The tears of last night had clung to his face, staining him. And that wolf… he had heard it many times before, howling, daring him. Something was haunting him. He shook his head. He would have plenty of time for contemplating later. Now, he had to face his father. He inhaled deeply. The two were not on best of terms, and he hated talking with him.

The walk to his father's study was long, and all of the other Elves he passed glanced at him and began to whisper. Legolas had learned to ignore the gossip, along with any other type of socializing. The large extravagant oak doors leading to his father's personal study opened with a loud creak, and thranduil was waiting patiently for him.

" My son, we have much to discuss." He said deadpan. 

"Why was I not notified about this earlier?" Legolas asked, somewhat angered.

"Because, it happened last night." Thranduil said, watching Legolas' expression closely. He winced as he saw Legolas go even paler than he usually was.

" W-what about last night?" Legolas asked, fearing the worst. _'You are paranoid… it is nothing…'_

Thranduil sighed, and looked at Legolas as though he was no longer his son. "When you went for your walk last night, we have Elves who say they saw you walk away from two other Elves."

" Father, they-" Legolas tried to protest, but was silenced by his father raising a hand, signaling silence.

" Legolas, those Elves were found dead, and al evidence points to you."

Bloodthirsty: Crappy. Very crappy. If I get flamed, I will be very pissed off. I admit it now, it's CRAPPY! So don't bother flaming! If you flame, I'll douse it with water and throw acid at you!

Legolas: Wow, she's pissed… must be that time of the month.

Bloodthirsty: Do you wanna be first?

Legolas: Meep… not really… hehehe…

Bloodthirsty: Anyone who reviews is awesome. I love you. But if you don't review, I don't blame you. This took far too long to wretch out, and I'm only getting this out because I have a certain 'Nimlet' on my case, lol. This is for you, gal, and for anyone else who even remembers 'Temptation of shadows'. *falls over dead*


	2. The hunt

Bloodthirsty: Yeah… so the wavy lines disappeared when I uploaded it. I tried. So you'll just have ta live with it. *sticks her tongue out immaturely* 

Legolas: You're going to get flamed…

Aragorn: Not that we're complaining…

Bloodthirsty: Ah well. I've got water. I'm pissed off, and gonna take it out on Legolas. 

Legolas: *whimpers*

Aragorn: I pity you…

A/N are ending, so it's safe to read now! There. Happy?! *glares at no one in particular and stalks off*

_'All evidence?__ Am I to be prosecuted again?! Do the other Elves know?' Legolas' mind buzzed with thoughts of being exiled. He inhaled deeply, trying to regain control. He couldn't let his emotions get the better of him. _

"Father, you don't actually beli-" He was cut off sharply by Thranduil.

"I know not what to believe anymore, Legolas. You, my youngest son, turned into some God forsaken beast. Our people _fear you, Legolas. I fear you… You're not the Elfling I once knew and raised." The older Elf said solemnly, looking tired and worn._

"You are no different from the other Elves… I thought you might have compassion for your own child! Despite my appearance, I am still Legolas! A member of the fellowship of the nine, son of Thranduil, archer and prince of Mirkwood, and nothing you say can ever change that!" Legolas spat, feeling anger well up inside of him like water against a dam. 

"You _are different, Legolas. You may have been part of the fellowship, and you may be my child, but you are not Legolas. He would never lash out like that, and he would never use that tone of voice to his own father, let alone a King!" Thranduil's words cut through Legolas' anger, releasing a rush of realization._

"You… you think I killed them, don't you…?" The young prince felt claws prick the palms of his hands as he clenched his fists.

"Legolas, I've said all that was needed. Please, leave." His father murmured as he sat down in an elegant chair, his back facing Legolas.

"Leave? Leave this room? The palace? Mirkwood? Middle Earth itself?!" He said, feeling another rush of anger and bitterness distort any coherence he might have had. When his father failed to reply, he stormed out, feeling frustrated and useless.

He pushed past a mousy looking Elf, nearly knocking her over. He continued to brush past anyone that got in his way until he reached his room. He slammed his door as hard as possible, and collapsed into the floor in despair. With his eyes squeezed shut, Legolas hoped to block out everything that had happened.

When he opened his eyes again, it was nearly night fall. The sky was painted with streaks of orange and pink, and the sun was merely a thin slice of gold on the horizon. He admired it for a few moments before turning away. The colour of the sunset looked too much like blood… Blood that had been spilled by something else, and yet he was blamed for it.

Then a thought struck him. One so obvious, he nearly slapped himself for not thinking of it earlier. Legolas reached under his bed, and retrieved his bow and quiver, fully stocked with arrows. A bit of paranoia had come over him for the past few weeks, and Legolas felt a lot safer with his weapon of choice so near him.

Instead of storming through the corridors, he made sure to use great caution. It would look a little too suspicious if someone saw him walking through the palace with his bow and quiver, and wanted to keep a low profile. There would be another hunt tonight, and the Elven prince assured himself he would be the victor.

The sun had left the sky completely, leaving only a faint glow of its former glory to light the forest and through the thick canopy of trees, only a faint illumination of the trees could be seen; unless you had Elven eyesight, of course. Legolas leapt from branch to branch, hardly making any sound at all. He scanned the area again, finding no trace of Elf or Warg. 

He almost sighed in frustration, when a slight movement of a bush caught his eye. He readied his longbow, and aimed, ready to kill when a young Elf stood up. She carried a basket of herbs, along with a dagger at her side. Legolas hid himself from her view as she looked over the forest, looking more than a little nervous.

There was a certain familiarity of her that made Legolas think hard about where he had seen her before. _'Tinnu… Yes, I believe that is her name…' He thought to himself, narrowing his eyes deep in thought. There was nothing especially beautiful about her, really. He recalled her having cloudy brown eyes, and lacking in height; a bit of a runt, if his memory served him well. But something about her seemed hauntingly familiar. _

_'Nith's sister!' The realization had struck him hard, and he blinked. He had no idea why he found it so intriguing, He watched her carefully, and seemed to focus more on her rather than finding the gargantuan wolf. _

Legolas was so focused, he didn't notice the twig snap on the forest floor beneath him. The Elven Maid looked towards Legolas, and he was sure she spotted him. A sudden growl made him think differently. Tinnu screamed as the creature Legolas was hunting lunged at her. 

It landed over her, and Legolas froze as it turned its head to look at him. The once beautiful Elven prince leapt down, and aimed his bow at the creature. It hadn't harmed the runty girl. Not yet, at least. It seemed to smirk, daring Legolas to fire an arrow. He didn't take the dare, but still kept his weapon up, just in case. The wolfish creature stepped off of the girl, not breaking eye contact with Legolas.

"Go." Legolas commanded Tinnu, and gestured with a swift nod of his head for her to retreat. She followed his order, and eagerly skittered out of sight. Now it was just Legolas and his prey.  To his sheer surprise, it lowered its head in submission, and slowly walked towards him.

He felt his hands start to shake, and fought for control over his growing anticipation. Soon the overly large wolf was at his feet, still bowing. Legolas held his breath, wondering what the creature was up to. His mind screamed at him, telling him to shoot it, but something deep inside of him prevented his body from complying. 

The wolf rose, its lips pulled back into what Legolas would swear was a smirk. It opened its mouth, and brought a paw up to its gaping maw. Legolas watched in morbid fascination as the creature, still grinning, bit down hard. 

A searing pain tore though Legolas' arm, and he dropped his trusted weapon with an anguished cry. It felt, and looked, as though something had crushed his hand. Blood oozed from the new wound down his arm, and a new, mortifying realization swept over the Mirkwood archer. 

A soothing, yet sinister voice rang though Legolas' head, confirming his fear. _"Yes, Elfling… we are one...." Legolas collapsed, shaking violently. He felt his eyes burn with tears, and he didn't bother to fight the crimson anguish that poured down his face. Thoughts of a new solution tumbled through his head over and over again. He wished he'd brought his knives with him. Then, he would make it quick and clean…_

"Legolas, you have everyone worried! Open the door!" Ùmaia shouted from the other side of Legolas' door. The youngest sibling took no heed to his older brother, and dragged his silver knife along his forearm. He winced at it. Somehow he thought suicide would be less painful, possibly enjoyable; though it caused him nothing but anguish and frustration. All he could see was that snarling, smirking muzzle, grinning as though it had already won.

_'But it has won…' Legolas felt despair wash over him like a torrent of water. He had lost. The damned beast had won. It wanted Legolas to fall into this state, and had known the Elvish prince would break. Realization that his kin was right in saying he was weak, and no longer an Elf made things worse, and he ran the blade along his wrist, flinching again._

_'Look at yourself, Legolas. Father- Lord Thranduil was right… I am weak. I am weak… How can I even be an Elf? I deserve this fate for what I've done… I am the exact same as that shadow... Weakling… Monster… Monster…' That one word echoed through his head, reverberating off of the walls of his mind; though every time he heard it, it changed something in him. __'Monster… Nothing less of the creature I seek to destroy… Not even an Elf anymore… If I am not an Elf, then why should I die to save them? Why should I allow both sides to win?' _

He put his knife down, as a new, more appealing thought seeped into his mind. _'The Elves deserve nothing more from me… What do I care if another dies? After all, I am no longer an Elf, but a felled creature, worse than an Orc… Why should I allow both my enemies to win, when I can win above them both?' A more morbid, sadistic side to him began to concoct a plan to escape from the abuse he received from his kin, and the terror his newest prey brought._

He stood up abruptly, not bothering to cover his slashed arms. He opened the door to face Ùmaia, who was still pounding ruthlessly.

"Legolas- By the Valar, what have you done to yourself?" He asked, and took hold of his youngest brothers arm, cradling it for a few moments.

"Do not touch me, Ùmaia." He spat the name as though it were poison. "I tire of being patronized by you. Now step aside." Legolas spoke in a tone that was so out of place, for a moment Ùmaia thought Legolas had been possessed again. 

"Are you well?" The older Elf asked, his voice almost a whisper.

"No, but I soon will be," Legolas said, his tone changing drastically, from pure sadism to nonchalance. "though I must ask a favour of you." 

Ùmaia quirked an eyebrow suspiciously. "And that is…?" 

"Obviously, that runt of an Elf told you of the monster?"

"If you speak of Tinnu," He said, narrowing his eyes at Legolas' crude comment. "Then yes, we know of it. If you can prove that the beast has been doing the recent killings, then your name will be cleared completely." 

Legolas snorted in response, and replied haughtily. "Spare me your false acts of justice. My name will always be soiled now. But I must ask you to not kill the creature." He said, a small grin tugging at his lips.

"_I want to kill it."_

Bloodthirsty: And thus ends the chapter. 

Legolas: I'm not like that! Really, I'm not!

Bloodthirsty: Ooh, but in _my mind you are. Besides, this is a fanfiction! I can do whatever I want with you!_

Aragorn: Am I ever glad that you're not one of my fangirls… I'd like to keep my rugged, manly good looks thank you!

Legolas: Shut up, Mr. 'don't take my snuggle bear away from me!'

Aragorn: ….

Bloodthirsty: … Um… Okay… Anyhoo! Review, email, flame, or just don't say a thing. But, I do this for your enjoyment, and if no one likes it, then I see no point in putting it up. I've got no problems with keeping my sick little fantasies to myself, thank you very much. But, for the eight people that _did review, I've got shoutouts!_

Wraith: Of course Legolas still has the fangs and claws! That's the main reason I wrote this story! Clawy-fangy-goodness! ^_^ Thanks for the review!

Fire_Runner: Yeah. I continued. Took me long enough, eh? Well, I'm just glad you like it! I might actually *finish* this story! Yay! That would be a first!


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